Hesitating at the Crossroads: A New Beginning
Picture this: You’re standing at the edge of a dense forest, the path behind you swallowed by mist, and the road ahead twisting into who-knows-where. Life can feel like that sometimes—especially when you’re in the middle of a major life change or crisis. Whether it’s switching careers, going through a breakup, or facing a midlife crisis, these moments can leave us feeling as if we have totally lost the plot.
A Sudden LifeQuake and You are Lost in the Chaos
Our world is like a never-ending carnival—loud, chaotic, and full of distractions. Trying to find a moment to think (or even just breathe) can seem impossible. The constant buzz of work emails, social media notifications, and daily chores drowns out our inner thoughts. When you’re dealing with a big life change, this lack of quiet time can crank up your stress to maximum levels. Without a break to reflect, we might make decisions that aren’t truly right for us—like deciding to adopt a pot-bellied pig, because “why not?”
Sarah’s Journey: From Chaos to Clarity
Take Sarah, for example. A high-flying marketing executive in her late 40s, Sarah was the poster child for ambition and success. But after ten years in the corporate grind, she started feeling like a hamster on a wheel. Adding to the strain, she also recently ended a long-term relationship, leaving her feeling more unanchored than a kayak in the middle of the Atlantic.
Sarah tried everything to cope—therapy, venting to friends, even a few mini getaways—but nothing really hit the spot. On a whim, she signed up for a Camino de Santiago walking retreat in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, in the southwest of France, thinking some fresh air and some exercise might do the trick.
During her retreat, without the distractions of her usual routine, Sarah started to reflect on what truly mattered to her. By the end of the retreat, Sarah had not only found clarity but also new direction. She returned home with a plan to start her own consultancy, focusing on projects that made her heart sing.
The Rejuvenating Power of Walking Retreats: Your Secret Weapon
Retreats, like the one Sarah attended, are like a magical reset button for those navigating life’s big transitions. These retreats offer a structured yet flexible environment where you can unplug from your everyday chaos and reconnect with yourself. With a mix of physical activities like hiking, and reflective practices like meditation and journaling, they help clear your mental clutter and boost self-awareness. This process can be incredibly eye-opening, offering insights that are hard to come by in the middle of your daily hustle and bustle.
Walking the Camino de Santiago offers a multitude of benefits that encompass physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and cultural aspects of life.
Physically, the daily activity of walking enhances your cardiovascular health, strengthens your muscles, and improves your overall fitness. The combination of physical exertion, natural beauty, and spiritual reflection often leads to a profound sense of inner peace.
Mentally, the rhythmic pace of walking reduces stress and facilitates mindfulness. Many find walking the Camino therapeutic, providing an opportunity to process experiences in a supportive environment.
Emotionally, the journey can be profoundly healing. It offers a therapeutic environment for processing emotions and past experiences. Completing each day’s walk instils a significant sense of accomplishment, boosting your self-esteem and increasing your self-confidence.
Spiritually, the Camino de Santiago, steeped in historical and religious significance, provides an opportunity for deep spiritual reflection and potential growth. Many hikers report gaining valuable personal insights and experiencing a profound sense of inner peace and renewed purpose.
Culturally, walking this ancient pilgrimage route allows you to immerse yourself in the cultural and historical heritage of the regions along the path. The warmth and hospitality of locals and fellow walkers further enrich the experience, creating a nurturing and supportive environment.
The Camino can also offer you a break from constant technological connectivity, providing a much-needed digital detox. The unpredictability and challenges encountered along the way add a sense of adventure and excitement to the experience.
Stepping Off The Treadmill to Move Forward
The takeaway here is simple: When you’re facing a big life change, sometimes the best way to move forward is to take a step back. Retreats provide a safe haven where you can pause, reflect, and realign with your true self. By temporarily escaping your usual environment, you gain the clarity and perspective needed to navigate your path with renewed confidence and purpose.
“There are increased benefits of spending more time in nature and leaving technology behind such as improved short term memory, enhanced working memory, better problem solving, greater creativity, lower levels of stress and higher feelings of positive well being.”— David Strayer, Professor of Cognition and Neural Science
So, the next time you find yourself at the edge of your own metaphorical forest, consider attending a retreat walking the Camino in the southwest of France. It might just be the guiding light you need—or at least a really good excuse to avoid your inbox for a week.
Immediate Stress Relief – a Powerful Breathing Exercise
In the meantime, you may want to try this breathwork practice for immediate stress relief. The practice focuses on two words: receive and release. First, find a comfortable sitting position and begin to take deep, slow breaths. After you have relaxed and settled into the gentle rhythm of your breathing, begin to say the word “receive” silently in your mind each time you inhale, and the word “release” as you exhale. So, it’s “receive” as you inhale, and “release” as you exhale. These two words will also help to focus your mind whenever it begins to wander. As you repeat the word “receive,” imagine yourself receiving what you need right now. As you repeat the word “release,” imagine yourself releasing what you need to let go of at this time.
Start by doing this practice for three to five minutes (it can be helpful to set a quiet timer at the beginning). If you have a particular concern, you can use this practice to assist you in finding peace and guidance. Bring the concern to mind as you begin the “Receive, Release” practice. You may even add a word to “receive” or “release.” For example, you find yourself mindfully adding “patience,” “kindness,” or “forgiveness” on your in-breath and perhaps something like “fear,” “anger” or “judgment” on the out-breath.
Walking retreats – an Antidote to Burnout
Life’s challenges can quickly overwhelm even the most resilient of us, leading to burnout – a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. When faced with constant stress, we eventually find ourselves struggling to cope, feeling drained and demotivated. This is where my 2-day “Burnout to Breakthrough” online course can come to the rescue. Designed to equip you with practical tools and effective strategies, this course helps you not only to detect and overcome burnout but also transform it into an opportunity for personal growth. Through targeted exercises, expert guidance, and a mindset shift, you’ll emerge on the other side stronger than ever. If you are ready to turn your burnout into a breakthrough, click here.
In addition to the transformational retreats that I host at my little French farm near Bordeaux, I have also created a couple of online courses, ex. Break Free from Uncertainty and Get Going in a New Direction – each course is available with or without one-to-one coaching. To receive notification of last-minute and early-bird specials on all of the above, I invite you to subscribe to my Savoir Vivre Vignettes newsletter which gives immediate access to my free How to Survive a Life Quake e-course.